Opposable Thumbs —

EpicWin app turns real-life to-do lists into a game

Combining the compulsive nature of a to-do list with the addictiveness of an …

To-do lists. We all have them, but that doesn't mean we have to like them. Getting through a pile of boring chores isn't all that fun, but an upcoming iPhone app is looking to change that. Dubbed EpicWin, the app aims to merge your to-do list with an RPG, letting you gain experience points and find rare loot as you do the laundry and catch up on e-mail.

The app is a joint venture between Rexbox—visual designer on LittleBigPlanet—and Mr. FungFung—the developer behind the iPhone game MiniSquadron. Completing tasks will move you ahead on the in-game quest map, and venturing to new locations will earn you in-game items. The app will also feature Facebook and Twitter integration, letting you share your triumphs with your friends. And if the trailer is any indication, it looks like it will have plenty of style to spare.

"Rather than just mentally ticking off your chores, completing each one improves and develops your character in an ongoing quest to level-up, gain riches, and develop skills," reads EpicWin's official site. "Doing the laundry is an epic feat of stamina so why not get stamina points for it?!"

EpicWin doesn't currently have a release date, but according to the site, RPG fiends will be able to improve their productivity stats "soon."

shomann> Maybe, but I see it a little differently. All of us have the day to day grind of getting chores done, work, feed ourselves or our family, clean up, go to bed. With a little added incentive, we can get these things to be less of a grind and maybe even get my kids to pick up their rooms. Hey, if my son wants to level up his character he's gotta keep that room clean!

Epic win indeed. Funny, I always imagined doing chores as completing quests just so I can get them done quicker (or just get them DONE), but never thought of the possibility of turning it into an app. I find the idea very innovative and brilliant.Too bad that the game has no way but to rely on your sense of guilt so that you won't cheat.

shomann> Maybe, but I see it a little differently. All of us have the day to day grind of getting chores done, work, feed ourselves or our family, clean up, go to bed. With a little added incentive, we can get these things to be less of a grind and maybe even get my kids to pick up their rooms. Hey, if my son wants to level up his character he's gotta keep that room clean!

Mmm, I just thought about something. What if other people can give chores/quests to you and also set the experience awarded for doing that (probably at the expense of someone else's experience or something of value in the game). This would make it even more addictive (while also limiting cheating) and the app even more useful.

Now that I have gotten used to the instant satisfaction of iPhone app purchases, articles about apps that are "coming soon" really piss me off.

Likewise. "Preview" articles are useful for the publisher, but have almost a negative value for the consumer. It gets the product in your head, and makes you more likely to impulse buy it if you see it again after release, but you don't get to see any mini-reviews from early adopters. Instead you get discussions about the product's potential... which leads to all sorts of problems when the product doesn't match expectations.

I'd rather live in a world without any previews before the release date.

You know what's more fullfilling that doing chores? Finding ways to limit or eliminate them entirely. Where's an RPG that rewards players for doing that?

So you're going to have a Roomba vacuum your rooms for you, a Scooba to mop and squeegee the floor, and a irobot dirt dog to sweep up debris in whatever you had gross in the garage?

Where's the fun in that?

When you put it that way, it sounds just like an MMORPG where you can pay third-party companies to harvest gold and equipment for you.

Or... you folks with kids could just crack the whip and get those little buggers to work for you.

Of course, this thing misses the point of RPG's...people like to get rewarded for sitting on their duff. This game is trying to reward them for not sitting on their duff. If people wanted to do that, they'd go get a job.

Side note, I used to own a Roomba... It was ok with superficial cleaning, but never did a very good job at deep-cleaning. Plus, the time you spend cleaning out the brushes would be the equivilent time it would take you to vaccumme anyways. I left it docked during a lightning storm, and a lightning strike ended up shorting it out. Poor thing. I didn't think about putting it's charger on a surge protector...but now you know, and knowing is half the battle.

And that DICE speech was amazing. Watched it a few months ago and have linked it to a lot of software developers I know. Real food for thought and I wouldn't be surprised if the guys who made this saw that video.

This has to be about the most pathetic thing I have seen. It comes across as an Onion parody commercial about just how lazy, nerdy and lame RPG gamers are. "You mean my phone will give me XP for doing my laundry instead of my mom yelling at me down the cellar stairs...and never leveling me up? *snort*"